Consent

Consent is your clear, informed yes before a company collects or uses your data. It should be free, specific and easy to withdraw.

Consent: Consent, in privacy terms, is your clear agreement to let an app or company use your personal data for a stated purpose. It should be given freely, be specific, be informed, and be easy to withdraw later. Silence or a pre-ticked box is a weak form of consent.

Consent appears as a pop-up, a tick box or a permission request. For example, an app may ask to use your location, contacts or camera. Pay attention to the purpose. "Allow contacts so we can find your friends" is clear. "Allow all access to continue" is not. A good app lets you say no to optional items and still use the basics.

You can usually change your mind. Phone settings let you remove permissions, and many apps have a privacy section to withdraw consent. Do not give consent to unknown callers asking you to say "yes" or "I agree" on a call. If a service says you cannot use it unless you share everything, think about whether you need it. Real choice means being able to say no to extras without losing the basic service you came for.

Tips

• Say yes only to the permissions an app needs for what you want to do.
• Review and remove permissions in phone settings every few months.
• Never say "I agree" or "yes" to unknown callers.

Related terms